Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson both joined the LIV Golf League in its inaugural season in 2022. While Mickelson began competing in the first season, Watson initially served as a non-playing captain the first year and then transitioned to playing a full season, the following year.
The 53-year-old LIV Golf Poster Boy has so far competed in 27 LIV Invitational tournaments but failed to triumph in any of them. However, he has made three top-10 finishes. Meanwhile, Watson has participated in 20 events so far but he too couldn’t capture an individual win. Nevertheless, he has made two top-10 finishes, specifically in 2023.
Considering these numbers, the American sportswriter, Alan Shipnuck revealed that Mickelson’s upcoming contract might position him as a non-playing captain. He even suggested that both the HyFlyers GC captain and the RangeGoats GC captain could face challenges to compete further in LIV events.
When the league was formed, each of the captains, including Mickelson and Watson, was offered a four-year contract. While, the six-time major champion, reportedly received approximately $200 million, Watson received around $50 million for signing with the Saudi-backed league. Their contracts are set to expire at the end of 2025.
It is important to note that in light of his lackluster performance, Bubba Watson has already requested his teammates to let him know whenever they feel he is no longer performing well enough to play alongside them.
The 45-year-old golfer said (via Mirror.co.uk):
“I told my team if they don’t think I am good enough to play, they can kick me out and we will put another good golfer in my place.”
Additionally, Lefty has also expressed plans to retire from golf, but not before he achieves the milestone of completing a career Grand Slam.
Phil Mickelson Will Retire From the Golf Game After Receiving a Career Grand Slam
Phil Mickelson boasts six major championship wins in his illustrious career, including three Masters titles, one Open Championship, and two PGA Championships. However, he has never clinched victory at the U.S. Open, despite coming close several times with both solo and tied runner-up finishes in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2013.
Nevertheless, Mickelson is still hopeful to get a career Grand Slam before he could potentially retire from his game. He expressed his desire and said (via Golf Digest):
“If I win the U.S. Open, I will retire. That would be my last tournament. I will have achieved the career Grand Slam and I won’t have anything more to prove.”
Now, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson when their LIV Golf contracts come up for renewal in 2025. It would indeed be intriguing to witness Mickelson fulfill his dream of achieving a career Grand Slam title whenever he manages to accomplish it.
